Automatic computing-machine.



No. 786,281. PATENTED APR. 4, 1905. A. D. DE GBNBRES.

AUTOMATIC COMPUTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION IILED JULY 5, 1904.

venl'oz UNITED STATES Patented April 4:, 1905.

PATENT ()EEIcE.

AUTOMATIC COMPUTING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 786,281, dated April 4,1905.

Application filed July 5, 1904. SOllELl N- 215,808.

T0 will)? it y OOH/(167%: along its upper edge, as shown at A, inter- Beit known that I, ALBERT l). DE GEN EEEs, mediate its ends. The top B ofthe casing exaeitizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Crowtends beyondor to the rear of the vertical ley, in the parish of Acadia and State ofLouiside wall A, so that it will overlap the edge 5 siana, haveinventedan Improvement in Autoof a counter, and is formed with a plurality maticComputing-Machines, of which the 'folof apertures B, through whichscrews maybe lowing is aspecification. passed to secure the casing tothe counter.

The object of this invention is a computing The casing may be furthersupported by a device designed especially for dry goods standard (1,extending from the floor and havo houses in the sale of cut goods,though the deing its upper end seated in a socket 0, carvice can be usedin any establishment where ried by the bottom plate A adjacent its outermaterial of any nature is sold by lengths. edge, which, it will beunderstood, is the edge The device can also be adapted for use in faconthe side opposite from the counter. tories incomputing time and wageaccounts, Extending centrally and longitudinally I 5 as the imprintedfigures and divisional marks through the casing A is ashaft D,projecting 5 employed may be given any arbitrary meanfrom the casing atthe left-hand end and caring necessary to adapt the device for use inrying at its outer end a milled disk D. A any special occupation. sleeveE fits over the shaft 1) where it passes A further object of theinvention is adevice through the end of the casing A, the sleeve 20 ofthis character which will readily indicate extending both within andwithout the casing, 7 the total cost of a piece of goods at a fixed andat the outer end of the sleeve is formed a price per yard for any givenlength or which milled head E. Loosely carried by the inner willindicate the required length for any given portion of the sleeve E is adisk F, and at the sum; and a still further object is to indicateopposite end of the casing the shaft A car- 2 5 step by step upon themachine the number of ries a similar disk, F, fixed to the shaft by ayards or inches measured off and the price of setscrew. Shafts Gr,preferably three in same as the goods are measured, so that. shouldnumber, have their ends fixed in the disks F a clerk be interruptedwhile measuring goods F, the shafts being parallel to each other and heWill not loose the count of the yards or fracequidistant apart.Rotatable rollers are 3 tions of a yard thereof already measured off.mounted on these shafts, the rollers H extend- My invention alsoconsists in the novel feaing substantially the length of the casing, andtures of construction and combination of parts at the right-hand endeach roller carries a gear hereinafter set forth, particularly pointedout H, which meshes with a central gear H carin the claims, and shown inthe accompanying ried by the sleeve E, and I prefer to thread 35drawings, in which the sleeve E into the hub portion of the gear 5Figure 1 is a perspective view of my device. H so that by turningthehead E left-handedl y Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through thethe sleeve can be removed from the casing, casing, one of the rollersbeing removed and the shaft D being first removed by taking out theothers being shown in plan, the central the set-screw securing it to thedisk F. The

4 portion of the casing and rollers being broken parts are furtherbraced by means of the rods 9 out. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on theline J extending between the disks F and F. Be- 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. lisan inverted plan view tween the disk F and the rollers H a coilof theremovable top plate of the casing, the spring H is carried by each shaftGr, these central portion being broken out, and Fig. 5 springs bearingagainst the ends of the rollers.

45 is a transverse section on the line 5 5 of Fig. i. It is obvious thatby reason of the cutting In constructing my device I employ a casaway ofthe marginal portion of the curved ing A of any desired shape, butpreferably front plate A at A a slot or opening will be having the flatbottom A and a vertical rear formed between the upper edge of that plateside A The front of the casing is closed by and the front straight edgeof the top plate 5 a detachable curved front plate A, cut away I B,through which a portion of one of the roll- I00 ers will be visible.Along this straight edge of the top plate B is laid off two parallelscales, one in inches or yards, the divisional lines representing bothlengths and the other in fractional parts of a yard. Adjacent thelefthand edge or end of the top plate B is formed a transverse rib B",adapted for use as a line from which to measure and being raised isreadily detected by the touch even when covered by the cloth to bemeasured. At the opposite end of the top B and adjacent the end is anangled slot B, the distance between the end of this slot and the rib Bbeing substantially one yard plus the thickness of a lever K, which isadapted to work through the transversely-arranged portion of the slot Band to slide in the longitudinal portion of the slot. Under the top Band carried by lugs carried by the top B is arranged a rod L, on whichslides a tube or sleeve L, which is almost the length of the top plateB. The lever K is rigidly secured to this sleeve adjacent an end of thesleeve, and by means of the lever the sleeve is both partially rotatedand also moved along the rod L, the distance of such movement beinglimited by the longitudinal length of theslot B in which the lever Kslides. On one side of the sleeve L is formed a plurality of rack-teethL", and arranged adjacent and parallel with the sleeve is a bar M,having slidably arranged thereon a block M, which carries on its innerside a leaf-sp ring M, adapted to be engaged by the teeth L of thesleeve L. The block M also carries on the opposite or outer side anangled arm, which projects above the edge of the plate B and is recessedto slide on the edge of the plate B, and. this arm forms a pointer Mmade fiat and smooth, so that it can be conveniently moved along theedge of the plate B, adjacent the.

scales heretofore referred to and shown at B". A flat spring M' iscarried by the block M and bears against the under side of the top plateB, making a frictional contact sufficient to hold the block in itsadjusted position. A plurality of lugs N are carried by the under sideof the top plate, through which screws are passed to connect it to therear side A The disk F has formed therein three perforations F midwaythe rollers H, and the adjacent end of the casing A has also formedtherein a perforation. An angled springpressed locking-pawl O is pivotedintermediate its ends between the end of the casing and the face of thedisk F and is adapted at its inner end to engage the perforations F andlock the disks F and F, and consequently the shaft D, against rotation.The outer end of the pawl F projects through the perforation in the endof the casing, and by pressing the same inwardly the inner end of thepawl F is released from engagement with one of the slots, and the shaftand disks may be rotated by the milled head I), thus bringing a newroller into alinement with the slot.

The operation of the device is as follows: The rollers provide a movablesurface adapted to be moved across the slot formed in the casing and arelaid ofi into spaces by means of transverse and longitudinal lines. Inthe first series of spaces are arranged a plurality of figures-as, forexample, 4c.25----which indicates the price per yard of the cloth to bemeasured and cut. These figures may indicate cloth at four and a quartercents per yard or at four dollars and twenty-five cents per yard. Thetransverse lines aline with the inch-marks formed on the scale carriedby the top B and adjacent the margin of the slot in the casing. Theseinch-marks (so termed because they are actually one inch in length) arealso readable as yards. The figures in the other spaces corresponding tothat space in which the figures L25 are placed and visible through theslotsi multaneously with the figures 4. 25 are multiples of thatfigure,the first space to the right of the price-space being also L25 andshowing the price of one yard and the second space having the figures8.50, showing that two yards would be worth eight and one-half cents oreight dollars and fifty cents. Short divisional marks are placed on thelongitudinal lines between the transverse lines and are read the shorterones in cents and the longeronesin multiples of live cents. The cloth ismeasured on the top B, starting from the ridge B, the pointer M beingalso adjacent the rib B The clerkgrasping an end of the cloth in theright hand draws the cloth across the top plate B until the lever K isreached, which is moved by him into the position shown in dotted linesin Fig. 5. This rotates partially the sleeve L and brings the teeth Uinto position to engage the spring M" of the block M, and furthermovement of the lever along the longitudinal portion of the slot movesor slides the sleeve L along the rod L, and this moves the block onestep, or, to be exact, one inch along the longitudinal slot of thecasing. The lever and sleeve L is returned to its normal position andthe n'ieasuring of a second yard again moves the block M and the pointerM another step or inch and it will show on the scale of the casing thattwo yards have been measured, and if the cost of the cloth is twodollars and seventy-five cents per yard and, the roller is rotated bythe sleeve-head E so that this price is visible through the slot theroller will show that the price of the two yards is live dollars andfifty ceuts,the pointer M indicating this fact, as well as the length ofthe piece measured. Suppose, however, that a customer asks forthirty-three inches of cloth at thirteen and one-half dollars per yard.The clerk in measuring the cloth would move the block or pointer withthe hand, the same not being engaged by the teeth of the retatablesleeve to the thirty-third inch and the small divisional mark would givethe price-- viz., twelve dollars-or if the cloth was worth thirteen andone-half cents per yard the piece thirty-three inches in length wouldcost twelve cents, though it will be noted that twelve cents worth ofcloth would in reality stop a very slight fraction of an inch short ofthe divisional line indicating thirtythree full inches. If, therefore. aperson asked for twelve dollars worth of a piece of cloth costingthirteen and one-half dollars per yard, the clerk would move the pointerto this divisional line(indicated at P in the drawings) and would cut ofthe piece as indicated by the scale on the top plate B instead ofcutting off the full thirty-three inches.

When a clerk is measuring off, say, twentysix yards of cloth, thepointer is engaged and moved step by step by means of the toothed sleeveand lever K and indicates at any point in the measuring exactly how manyyards have been measured and the price of the cloth so measured at anyprice per yard. The clerk cannot therefore make an error and measureofl' twenty-live or twenty-seven yards instead of the twenty-six desiredwithout the pointer M showing the error. The device can be used,therefore, when a certain number of yards at a fixed price are to bemeasured ofl, accurately showing the number measured and the cost of thetotal amount so measured, when a piece of an unknown length is to be cutofi and sold ata fixed price per yard for a specified amount and when acertain fraction of a yard, as twenty-three inches, is to be sold andthe price per yardonly is given. In all of these cases the device willmeasure the length of the cloth sold, both in yards and inches, and givethe total price for the length in cents or dollars and fractions of adollar.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent. is-

1. The combination with a stationary scale, of a rotatable roller havingimprinted matter thereon arranged adjacent and parallel to the scale,the block adapted to slide along the scale, and means for moving theblock step by step.

2. The combination with a slotted casing having a scale arranged alongthe margin of the slot, a slidable sleeve carried by the cas ing, meansfor moving the sleeve, a block adapted to be engaged by the sleeve andmove step by step along the scale, and a rotatable roller havingimprinted matter thereon, arranged adjacent the scale.

3. The combination with a casing having a longitudinal slot formedtherein, and having a scale arranged upon the marginal portion of theslot, of a rotatable roller carried by the casing and visible throughthe said slot, a slidable block carrying a pointer adapted to travelalong the scale, a slidable toothed sleeve adapted to engage the blockand move the same in one direction, and means for alternately moving thesleeve in opposite directions.

4:. A device of the kind described comprising a casing having alongitudinal slot formed therein, and having a scale arranged along themarginal portion of the slot, the top of said casing having an angledslot formed therein, a rod carried by the casing adjacent the slot, atoothed sleeve movable and rotatable on the said rod, a lever secured tothe sleeve and adapted to work in the angled slot, a bar arrangedadjacent the sleeve, a block adapted to slide on the bar and carrying apointer adapted to move along the edge of the scale, a spring carried bythe block adapted to be engaged by the teeth on the sleeve, and amovable surface arranged within the casing and visible through the slot.said surface having imprinted matter thereon, and means for moving thesaid surface transversely with reference to the slot.

5. A device of the kind described comprising a slotted casing, themarginal portions of the said slot having scale divisions arrangedthereon, a plurality of rollers rotatably mounted in the casing andhaving matter imprinted thereon, means for successively bringing thesaid rollers into alinement with the said slot, a slidable blockcarrying a pointer adapted to be moved step by step along the scale, andmeans for moving the block.

6. Acomputingdevicecommisingastationary scale, a rod arranged below thescale, a tubular sleeve slidable on the said rod and toothed along oneside, a bar parallel to the sleeve, a slidable block carried by the barand adapted to be engaged and moved step by step by the toothed sleeve,a pointer carried by the block adapted to travel along the scale, and alever connected to the sleeve and adapted to partially rotate the sameand to slide the sleeve longitudinally in opposite directions on therod, as and for the purpose set forth.

7 A device of the kind described comprising a casing having alongitudinal slot formed therein and having scale divisions formed onthe margin of the slot, the top of said casing having an angled slotformed therein adjacent the said scale, a rod carried by the under sideof the casing-top, a toothed sleeve adapted to slide and rotate on thesaid rod, a lever connected to the sleeve and projecting through andworking in the said angled slot, a bar parallel to the rod, a blockslidable on the bar and adapted to be engaged by the toothed sleeve, anda movable surface arranged within the casing, the said surface bearingimprinted matter adapted to be brought into alinement with the saidslot.

8. A computing device comprising a casing having a longitudinal slot, ascale arranged adjacent the said slot, a shaft arranged longitudinallyin the casing, and projecting from one end thereof, means for rotatingthe shaft, a sleeve arranged rotatably upon the shaft and extendingwithin and without the casing, means for rotating the sleeve independentof rotation of the shaft, a disk carried by the IIC sleeve within andadjacent one end of the casing, a disk fixed to the shaft within andadjacent the opposite end of the casing, means for locking the shaftagainst rotation,vshafts carried by the disks, rollers mounted on saidlast-mentioned shafts, gears carried by the rollers, an intermeshinggear carried by the sleeve, a slidable block carried by the casing andhaving a pointer projecting through the slot, and imprinted matterarranged upon the rollers and adapted to be brought into alinement withthe slot, as and for the purpose set forth.

9. The combination with a longitudinallyslotted casing carrying rollersbearing imprinted matter adapted to be alined with the slot, of aslidable block carried by the casing, a pointer carried by the block andadapted to project into the slot, a movable toothed sleeve carried bythe'casing and arranged parallel to the slot, means for partiallyrotating the sleeve and for sliding the same alternately in oppositedirections, and a spring carried by the block and adapted to be engagedby the sleeve on movement of the sleeve in one direction.

10. A device of the kind described comprising a casing having detachabletop and side plates, the side plate having its upper edge portioncutaway intermediate the ends of the plate, and the top having a scalearranged along the edge adjacent the side plate, a rib formed on the topplate adjacent one end of the scale and at right angles thereto, thesaid top plate being angularly slotted adjacent the opposite end, aslidable block having a pointer adapted to move along the scale, aslidable sleeve toothed on one side and adapted for rotation, a leversecured to the sleeve and adapted and having a pointer adapted toproject through the slot, said casing having a scale formed on amarginal portion of the slot, a shaft in the casing, said shaftprojecting therefrom, means for rotating the shaft, means for lockingthe shaft against rotation, a sleeve on the shaft, extending within andwithout the casing and having its inner end portion threaded, agear-wheel having a threaded hub portion adapted to fit on the threadedportion of the sleeve, a disk loosely mounted on the sleeve, a diskfixed on the shaft, rollers supported by and between the disks, andgearwheels carried by the rollers and adapted to mesh with thegear-wheel threaded upon the sleeve, as and for the purpose set forth.

ALBERT 1). DE GENERES. Witnesses:

OHAs. E. BROOK, EDGAR B. MoBA'rn.

